Between Doors
by twinklingbats
Summary: Weeks have passed since Liddell has returned from the Seven Kingdoms, the only memento from her adventure being the strange necklace Loue gave her before they departed. As Liddell tries to readjust to her life back home, her longing for the vampire only continues to grow. Will she ever be able to see him again?
1. Chapter 1

Liddell wandered through the library, searching row after row of books for something that would pique her interest. The old room was utterly silent aside from the clicks of her heels on the hard stone floors. Classes were still in session, but whatever interest she had for the magic her classmates were learning completely vanished after her return from the Seven Kingdoms only a few weeks earlier. She still couldn't believe she'd managed to defeat the Eld Witch, let alone meet the Queen she had only heard of in the dusty old books she read. Liddell would have mistaken the ordeal for a bizarre dream if it weren't for the necklace she'd been given before she had to leave. She oftentimes found herself staring into the depths of the strange red gem that made up the only focal point in the jewelry. Even now she clutched at the strange jewel as she climbed to the second story of the library in search of something more interesting on the upper floors. She often wore the piece around her neck, rarely letting it leave her person. She felt if she left it alone it would disappear along with the world she so desperately wished she could return to.

The moment she'd woken up from her strange "dream" she'd run to Babayaga, demanding to know what had happened since she was the last person Liddell had seen from her land before and _during_ the adventure. Despite Babayaga swearing that she didn't know anything (and that Liddell had gone completely crazy), the young witch had no doubt that the hag had much more to do with the mysterious "dream" than she was letting on. Liddell specifically reminded the old witch that she had helped her along the way, often trading objects the girl had hunted down in exchange for vital items she needed to continue her quest. Liddell's suspicions were only confirmed when Babayaga quickly tried to change the subject, before booting the girl out of her home entirely when she wouldn't stop pressing the topic.

Though Liddell knew that Babayaga had answers, the old woman wouldn't budge despite her incessant prying. Still, the old hag often implied that Liddell would get what she wanted eventually and that she simply could not give up hope. However, Liddell was never one to sit around and wait for things to happen, so she found herself skipping classes more and more often in hopes of finding any information on the elusive lands she wished to return to.

 _Well,_ Liddell pondered as she settled on a decrepit book about supernatural methods of travel, _maybe it wasn't exactly the land itself that she was trying to get back to so badly._ Though she truly did miss all the inhabitants of the kingdoms, there was one man who stood out in her heart above all the rest.

 _Loue._ Just thinking of his name made the witch feel like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. The emotions she felt for the vampire assured her more than the stone dangling from her neck that she hadn't been dreaming. Liddell had admitted to herself much too late that she'd developed feelings for the vampire, and by the time she was ready to tell him how she truly felt, her time was up.

She scanned the book for a while, but didn't manage to find anything much different from what she had already tried since her return. Feeling her determination waning, Liddell knew it was time to talk to Babayaga. Even if the old witch was being tight lipped about whatever was going on, Liddell knew she was reasonable enough to not hide anything from her unnecessarily. The girl slid the tome back into its place on the shelf, and headed down the stairs.

The witch followed the familiar cobblestone path she'd taken an uncountable number of times. The pumpkin lanterns she'd befriended years before glowed a little brighter as she passed, exchanging their typical playful greetings and banter. Liddell stepped onto the creaking wooden bridge, old tombstones sinking into the bubbling green lake below her feet. After crossing to the other side, the young witch approached Babayaga's grinning treehouse. She knocked three times, then entered the small greeting room. Stacked skulls smiled, looming down at Liddell when she entered. The glow of pumpkins and candles casted an eerie radiance on the wooden walls. Liddell passed by the glass jars of curiosities Babayaga kept around, approaching the old witch who was as always floating behind the dimly glowing crystal ball that rested upon her countertop.

"Ah, Liddell, what a surprise," the old woman joked, her voice creaking and rusted with age.

"I couldn't find anything useful in the books I read today," Liddell complained, hoping her disappointment wasn't too obvious.

"You're a determined girl…" Babayaga pondered. "That's an admirable quality in young people. I'm sure with that you can do anything you set your mind to if you try."

"Even get you to tell me about the Seven Kingdoms?" Liddell challenged hopefully.

"Well, maybe not everything…" Babayaga concluded with a laugh. "But if you want to get back to this slumberland you're so fond of, I'm sure you'll find a way."

Liddell exhaled loudly with an annoyed _hmph._ "I told you it wasn't just a dream, ya old bag! You know it's as real as you and me!"

"Heh heh heh," the old witch mused. "You'll just have to prove it then," she replied, smiling as she effortlessly goaded the young witch on.

"Fine!" Liddell exclaimed with a smile. "I will prove it, you just watch me!"

"You're filled with so much energy!" the old witch wheezed. With a few more coughs, her eyeball was rolling onto the countertop. "Oh to be young again…"

"Ulcers acting up? That's usually my cue to leave. I'll see ya later, Babayaga!" Liddell called.

The old witch returned the eye to its socket and waved to the young girl, smiling as Liddell exited the room. Her broad smile quickly dropped into an unsettled frown as the door shut firmly behind the young witch. Still staring at the door, the hag sighed. She placed one hand below her chin, resting on the counter in front of her. She tapped on the wooden surface with her free hand impatiently, quietly muttering to herself under her breath. "What could be taking that darned vampire so long…?"

 **-xxx-**

 **Hey everyone! I don't know how long this fic will be since this is more of a side project but I figured adding even a little bit of content focused on this ship is better than nothing since the fandom's hardly active anymore ;_; Look forward to Ch. 2, and please review if you like it!**


	2. Chapter 2

Liddell opened the door to her bedroom, flopping into a plush armchair with a heavy sigh. The principal hadn't come home yet despite the late hour, so Liddell had the house to herself. As odd as it was to live on campus, she didn't always mind. Aside from sometimes not seeing her mother for days on end as work kept her occupied, staying on school grounds had its perks, like having full access to the expansive collection of books within the library whenever she wanted. That was where Liddell had been for most of the evening, combing through the vast array of texts for anything that could give her more insight on the strange land she'd resided in. Tired from the long day of research and discouraged by her fruitless efforts, Liddell took some half promising manuscripts and had decided to return home.

She began to regret her decision, the quiet stillness of the empty house pressing on the girl's already fraying nerves. She understood that her mother had to take on unpredictable hours for the sake of the school, but knowing that she couldn't even disturb Babayaga at such a late hour left the girl feeling utterly isolated. Loneliness weighed heavily upon the witch, her heart desperate with longing to return to the kingdoms and reunite with the man she missed so deeply. Without warning, hot tears began to form in Liddell's eyes, the salt adding an extra, unwelcome burn to her wounds. The witch growled in frustration, rubbing the tears from her eyes before they could fall.

 _Crying isn't going to get you anywhere,_ Liddell thought, scolding herself for letting her emotions get the better of her. She knew pessimism wasn't going to get her any closer to her goals, despite the temptation to question whether or not she would ever return to the Seven Kingdoms. She reached for a book she'd taken from the library. Slipping it out of her bag, she began to read with a determination bordering on frantic desperation. Her eyes scanned page after page of discussions on liminal spaces, portals to other worlds, and veils between realms as thin as a sheet of paper.

She felt herself nodding off at her desk, slipping between consciousness and an inky half-sleep. When awake, she often found herself staring blankly at the pages of her books or reading the same line over and over as she struggled to comprehend the words. Before she knew it, her cloudy, fatigued eyes had closed.

For a moment she thought she was falling, descending dangerously fast into the gaping mouth of an abyss-like darkness. As the sensation of weightlessness clawed at the pit of her stomach she jolted awake, taking small, rapid breaths as the feeling of falling still clung to her now hyper alert body. On edge more than ever, Liddell decided it was time to try to relax and get some sleep. Placing the heavy book onto the desk with a _thump,_ the witch stood from her chair, stretching her arms to relieve her body of some tension. She paused for a moment as she thought she heard something outside her window. She turned, curiously pulling the curtain aside as she gazed out into the darkness.

Liddell scanned the dimly lit campus, but being a few stories high, her vision was inevitably distorted by the reflection of a large full moon in the glass. She pushed the frame up, a comfortably chilly breeze gently soothing Liddell's hot skin. She relaxed for a moment, relishing the breath of fresh air as she admired the moon hanging low in the inky sky, so close to the school that it silhouetted the roofs in a glowing yellow haze and shadow. As the young witch gazed at the moon, sleep began to overtake her once more. Her eyes wandered, tracing the odd shadows the pale rays of light cast, causing the darkness to jut at bizarre angles on the rooftops. For a moment her attention turned to an odd shadow, a blurry silhouette of a single figure, balanced precariously at the top of a spire across from her bedroom. A wave of hope filled Liddell's body unbidden, but in an instant the shadowy form had melted into the night and disappeared. Liddell rubbed her eyes frantically, a feeling of shock spreading through her chest and stomach. As she looked back up, her heart sank in her chest like an anchor.

"Great, now I'm seeing things," Liddell sighed, pushing away from the window. "Time to go to bed…"

The witch yawned, not bothering to change out of her school clothes. She blew out the sparkling golden flames of candles throughout the room, bathing the space in the same hazy moonlit glow as the outside world. She flopped onto her bed, the coolness of the soft sheets feeling heavenly as they graced her feverish skin. Liddell had barely pulled the covers over her body when she succumbed to a comfortable, much needed rest.


End file.
